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Iran's climate efforts 'not affected by conflict with US'

The adverse effects of climate change and global warming have been increasingly felt by Iran over the past decade. DW spoke to Iran's COP23 delegation chief Majid Shafie-Pour about actions to mitigate these problems.

DW: How is climate change affecting Iran and what measures are being taken by the government to counter these effects?

Majid Shafie-Pour: The adverse impacts of climate change and global warming are already evident all over Iran, where the average temperature rise has exceeded 1.8 degrees Celsius. It is one and a half times the mean average temperature rise globally.

This has led to a reduction in rainfall, which in turn has resulted in spells of drought and a lowering of the available fresh water resources in the country over the past two decades.

The reduction in rainfall and water levels, as well as increase in heat, has had a severe negative effect on our agriculture. To cope with the increase in the intensity of heat, people use more electric power for cooling and air conditioning, spiking our energy consumption. This counteracts our efforts to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduce the space available to us to advance our climate programs.

The energy sector in Iran accounts for two-thirds of the country's GHG emissions. We're therefore focusing our efforts on curbing emissions from energy-intensive segments of the economy such as oil refineries, cement and steel industries as well as transportation.

We are striving to first improve energy efficiency and then later move on to energy conservation practices. The last step would be the deployment of renewables. But since Iran is endowed with vast resources of natural gas, which is a climate-compatible source of energy, we have expanded the use of natural gas nationwide in recent decades and deployed advanced natural gas technologies that appear to be well in order.

It's not that we undertake only one step at a time, but rather we have pursued all these efforts in parallel. For instance, in Iran's sixth socio-economic development plan, unveiled about eight months ago, we included a target of setting up 5,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy capacity, including 3,000 MW of solar and 2,000 MW of wind power.

Of course, this is not a big number, but overall the direction that we are taking is very clear and the government is mulling over various financial and regulatory incentives to persuade the private sector and investors to play a bigger role in renewables.

Iran: paralyzed by environmental neglect

Dust cloud with toxic particles

In Ahwaz, the instruments that monitor pollution from particulates were out of action for days. "Within hours, there was dust everywhere. Suddenly, I had red spots on my whole body. My skin felt like it was on fire and I was hospitalized," Rosita told DW. She is a teacher in Khuzestan, the capital of a province rich in oil.

Iran: paralyzed by environmental neglect

Burnt-out neighbor

Sandstorms have become a nightmare for people in southern Iran. For eight years the storms have constantly increased in intensity, and spread toxic particles. Iranian politicians claim they come from neighboring country Iraq. There, 35 years of constant war have left date palm forests burnt, agriculture ruined, and the air full of chemicals.

Iran: paralyzed by environmental neglect

Poor water management

Iranian politicians like to call their country an "island of stability" in the Middle East, but especially when it comes to environmental issues, things do not look good. Climate change and poor water management have led to 80 percent of the country's most important lakes drying up. These areas are the most significant contributors to dust pollution. The Karun river in Ahwaz is also drying up.

Iran: paralyzed by environmental neglect

Becoming uninhabitable

In spite of all this, Iran has no strategy to protect the environment. In January, the German "Heinrich Böll Foundation" published a report on water shortages in Iran. 160 pages are dedicated to describing the country's massive environmental problems. "The pressing water shortage is threatening to make vast areas of land uninhabitable in the future," the report warns.

Iran: paralyzed by environmental neglect

Power cuts disrupt the oil- industry

The sandstorm in Khuzestan caused massive disturbances in the electric power supply. The consequences were immense. The oil-industry in Khuzestan was temporarily at a standstill. 750,000 barrels of crude oil are produced in this province every day. The oil industry's revenues make up a large part of the Iranian national budget. A representative from Khuzestan warned of a national crisis.

Iran: paralyzed by environmental neglect

Rohani under pressure

Conservative politicians accuse Hassan Rohani's government of not having the situation under control. In turn, Rohani blames his predecessor Mahmud Ahmadinejad for the impending environmental catastrophe. During his presidency, Ahmadinejad accused the West of having caused the drought in Iran - as part of a "sinister plan to undermine the Islamic Republic."

Iran: paralyzed by environmental neglect

Powerless environmental protection agency

The revolutionary guard is not only a military power with its own contingent of army, airforce, navy, special forces for foreign missons or the voluntary militia Basidsch. They are also an economic force in Iran. Their economic division Khatam al-Anbiya builds streets, tunnels, pipelines and dams. Many dams are built only of earth - without consulting the environmental authorities.

Iran: paralyzed by environmental neglect

Dam collapse? Fake News!

In February, a dirt dam collapsed in the southern Iranian province of Fars. 700 houses were destroyed and more than 2,000 other buildings damaged. At first, the provincial director-general for crisis management disclaimed reports about the incident. The pictures on social media were claimed to be fakes.

Iran: paralyzed by environmental neglect

Official lack of responsibility

Nobody accepts responsibility for this mismanagement, or for the delay in carrying out rescue missions in the province. A lack of crisis management turns into a management crisis.

Author: Shabnam von Hein (JF)

To achieve Iran's climate and energy goals, how important is cooperation with foreign countries?

Cooperation with foreign partners is extremely important. For instance, about six weeks ago, a consortium of British, Spanish and Italian firms agreed to set up an 800-MW solar power plant in Iran. And the agreement was all finalized ad signed in London. So it's critical that countries with technological capabilities offer support and are willing to share their technologies with others.

It's also clear that the rates of return on their investments are very attractive. Iran is an attractive place for foreign investors, particularly from the EU as they know the market. European businesses have long been active in the Iranian power plant industry. And with the nuclear deal between Iran and global powers in place now, it really pays for EU firms to reenter and reap the gains of the Iranian market.

Will the conflict with the US have an impact on Iran's climate action plan?

The international community is critical of the Donald Trump administration's climate policy, particularly the US withdrawal from the Paris agreement. But the majority of countries in the world do not take the US plans into account when devising their own climate approach. That's what we have experienced during the climate change conference in Bonn. The delegations from different countries are trying to engage in negotiations as the international community understands the significance of a collective move.

So the US administration's rhetoric, since President Trump came to power, doesn't affect these joint actions. On the other hand, everybody appreciates the European Union's response.

Together we can make the world a livable place - a place with peace and security. And a better climate regime is essential to it. We can achieve it through dialogue and understanding each other's viewpoint.

Are the Iranian people aware of the climate change challenges? And what is your country doing to reduce carbon emissions?

The public opinion in Iran is in favor of a positive climate action plan because the people are feeling the adverse affects of climate change. The international community is targeting to minimize global warming by the end of the 21st century, and Iran is part of the effort. The reduction of carbon emissions and move towards renewable energy sources are crucial to our endeavors.

Tehran welcomes the international support and engagement in this regard. The Iranian government is doing its best to adhere to the climate principles and is implementing climate friendly programs in the country.

Majid Shafie-Pour is chief of Iran's delegation to the COP23 climate talks currently taking place in Bonn, Germany. He is also the spokesperson for the Like-Minded Group of Developing Countries and President of Iran's National Institute on Climate Change and Environment.

The interview was conducted by Shabnam von Hein. It was edited and condensed for clarity.